EW! A Blog.

EW is getting reports of one mother Tased and another mothers pepper sprayed by Eugene police in front of their children after the Kids Day march at Occupy the Trees tonight. Reports from the incident say the march was over and a scavenger hunt had begun when the mothers were sprayed and Tased. The incident happened across the street and not at the Occupy the Trees site, the reports say. Occupy the Trees is a weeklong event of Occupy Eugene and Cascadia Forest Defenders in an effort to halt climate change and corporate greed by the 1 percent from excess logging and destruction of the Earth.

UPDATE

We're hearing that that no Taser was used but that both women were pepper sprayed. Eugene police have confirmed this, saying "Both subjects resisted arrest and the use of pepper spray was necessary to take them both safely into custody."

What is it about Northwest beer that makes the sun so freaking hot? Not that it isn't the most deliciously hoppy, amazingly bitter, stupidly strong beer in the land, but it sure is thick. It's really difficult to imagine gulping down a heady IPA after eating a delicate piece of white fish, for example, or a meal-in-a-bottle stout alongside an expensive cheese plate, but the good news is that heavy dark brews aren't all the Northwest has to offer. The good folks over at 16 Tons celebrated its Week of Wild and 2nd anniversarythis week (and will continue through Sunday, April 29) — an event that takes the focus off of hops and crops and onto live cultures.

“It's the scourge of wine makers everywhere,” says 16 Tons owner Mike Coplin of brettanomyces, the genus of yeast that has made its name by infecting and drastically altering the taste and bouquet of wine. But while the yeast infects and destroys the delicacy of wine, it does the heavy beers a solid and grants them a moment of unique daintiness — namely in the form of wild beers. Many of the flavors that brettanomyces impart upon beer are considered to be unpalatable and signs of infestation, but a select few savor the sour flavors that the yeast leaves behind and have been harnessing the un-harnessable mutiny of the live culture to make unique, summery beers.

16 Tons' Week of Wild has been featuring no fewer than 30 wild beers on draught and an even larger selection of bottles, so there's far from a shortage in selection, but be warned; you might be surprised at what you taste. Most of this stuff is probably going to take a little acclamation — think both distinctively sour, and bizarre — due to the brettanomyces going to work, but there's a plus side to the learning curve:

“There's a romance to the unpredictability of spontaneous fermentation,” says Jeff Moores, 16 Tons co-owner, before going on to remark that the new flavors created by brettanomyces create food pairings akin to those of wine. Wild beers create a gauzy concreteness of flavor for those adventurous types that have been getting bored of the same old IPAs and porters, and they also bring to bat a characteristic of beer that is often left untouched — its ability to be palatable with any dish.

Joining 16 Tons for the last days of its Week of Wild and 2nd Anniversary event is highly recommended. Stop by, grab a yeasty beverage and start wildin' out.

“I Say a Little Prayer” was originally written in 1967 by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Dionne Warwick. In the last 45 years it's been covered and re-covered. But for all the versions that exist, Zeds Dead's dubstep remix is probably the one Bacharach and David least expected.

Entitled “Coffee Break,” Zeds Dead's version breathes life into “Prayer” and makes it relevant to a generation that wasn't even the beginning of a thought when the song was conceived. Zeds Dead’s remix essentially puts one line from the first verse of the song on repeat, backs it with synth and a heavy beat, then accents it with what could be sound effects from “Super Mario Bros,” thus ensuring “Prayer” will live on in dance tents for as long as dubstep continues to reign.

Masters of genre-bending, Zeds Dead makes classics such as “Prayer” and The Moody Blues' “Knights in White Satin” accessible to a generation that can barely unplug themselves long enough to use the bathroom. But the cross-genre exposure doesn't end there. By drawing from contemporary artists like Radiohead and Ellie Goulding, Zeds Dead presents a whole different world of music to techno fans.

Zeds Dead consists of DC and Hooks, two dudes from Toronto, Ontario who launched their music careers in 2004 as the hip-hop duo Mass Productions. Five years and one album later, they switched things up a bit and became Zeds Dead. Now they take songs ranging from Aretha's “I Say a Little Prayer” to Radiohead's “Pyramid Song” and warp them into throbbing, hypnotic dance beats.

Think of what might be inside a plastic lunch baggie: sandwiches, crackers, apple slices … Ku Klux Klan propaganda? Residents of Springfield last week were startled to find flyers promoting the KKK on their doorsteps sealed in sandwich bags with candies.

“It's totally legal,” said Cole Thorton, Imperial Wizard of the Northern and Southern Knights of the KKK, about the distribution of the propaganda. He explained that the Klan works with the police to be sure they aren't promoting anything unlawful or that might be “inciting violence.” Springfield police have said dropping the flyers on people’s lawns might be construed as littering.

When asked about the Hershey's Hugs chocolate candies with the brown and white striping that were also found in the plastic bags, Thornton responded, “I think it was probably because it was Easter.” He described the flyer distribution as a “blanket drop,” as opposed to targeting specific people with the messages.

After flyers were discovered, an anti-hate rally was initiated by local human rights organizations, including the Springfield Alliance For Equality and Respect, Community Alliance of Lane County (CALC), Back to Back: Allies for Human Dignity, and the Eugene Chapter of the North American Alliance for Colored People (NCAAP). The groups gathered on April 18 with more than two-dozen community members to address the KKK flyers.

After discussing the issues surrounding the KKK flyer distribution, the rally split up and went door to door to distribute counter-flyers. The new flyers emblazoned with “No Hate Here!” described what to do when confronted with a possible hate-related activity. “While some people were very responsive,” said Kori Rodley, executive director at CALC, “others didn't know about it, so an education factor in this case was a chance to be proactive.”

“The rally was meant to further educate people what the difference is between freedom of speech and hate speech,” Rodley said. By countering the message, she explained, “it gives something tangible and real that can say I'm opposed to this.”

Some know him as a co-founder of the Weather Underground, aka the Weathermen, a Vietnam-era group that bombed public buildings in protest of the war.

Still others know him as a respected author, thinker and professor of education, even as the writer of a comic book.

“Obviously no one, not even me, knows exactly who I am, and I’m living it,” says William “Bill” Ayers, who points out that despite media labels of terrorist, communist or radical, he is a husband of 40 years, a father of three grown sons and a professor retired from the University of Illinois.

In the world of college football, some teams (like our own Oregon Ducks) soar high above others ... a recent ESPN Magazine article explores marijuana usage among college football players, as well as the counterculture of Eugene, Oregon.

According to information from Occupy Eugene and Cascadia Forest Defenders:

Occupy Eugene and Cascadia Forest Defenders have put a call-out to activists around the world to "Occupy the Trees" in protest of the destruction of our Earth for the week of April 22-27. Occupy the Trees is a worldwide environmental protest against corporate and personal greed.

Our call to action includes 3 main points:

1. Immediate attention and reversal to global climate change which threatens all life on Earth.

2. Disruption of the Earth-destroying profit machines led by the richest 1% of the world and their government lackeys.

3. Ending commercial extraction from publicly held conservation lands in all nations.

A treesit has gone up in the controversial Goose Timber Sale, according to Cascadia Forest Defenders who say in a press release:

On Sunday April 22, in celebration of “Earth Defense Day” and in solidarity with Occupy the Trees, Cascadia Forest Defenders installed a tree sit in the Goose Project timber sale known as “Golden.”

We are occupying the Golden Goose in advance of the scheduled auction on Tuesday April 24th to draw attention to the Forest Service’s lack of transparency and reckless commitment to timber quotas. In response to a large community outcry, we are calling for the immediate withdrawal of the proposed sale and a moratorium on all logging operations on public forest in the McKenzie Bridge.

To participate in the “Timber Auction Protest” meet at the Grower’s Market at 9:30 am on Tuesday April 24to carpool or head directly to the US Forest Service Supervisor’s Office (3106 Pierce Parkway Suite D, Springfield, OR) by 10am

For more information, go to www.occupythetrees.org and for updates on the McKenzie treesit go to forestdefensenow.com

Today at about 4:20 Secretary of State Kate Brown announced that her office has issued a $65,000 fine against an initiative petition campaign for repeated violation of Oregon’s constitutional ban on payment per signature.

The penalty, leveled against the Initiative Petition 24 (marijuana decriminalization), is the largest fine ever brought against a signature gathering campaign.

“I want to thank our investigators and the Department of Justice for quick work in this case,” said Secretary of State Kate Brown. “I remain committed to cracking down on fraud and abuse in the initiative process. I sincerely hope this case sends a message to all chief petitioners and signature gatherers that, we treat these cases very seriously.”

"As longtime watchdogs of the initiative process, Our Oregon is pleased that Secretary Brown has taken these violations so seriously. When campaigns violate the Oregon Constitution and pay per signature, it cheats voters and it cheats the circulators on the street," reads a statement from Our Oregon, which is beginning its own initiative campaign on kicker reform.

In 2002, voters responded to widespread fraud and forgery in the initiative system by voting to pass Measure 26 by a wide margin, banning the practice of payment per signature.

"If petitioners willingly and repeatedly violate the clear language of the law, they should expect to face stiff penalties. We applaud Secretary Brown’s decision and the signal it sends to all other campaigns who would consider breaking the law," says Scott Brown of Our Oregon.

Community Alliance of Lane County is mobilizing with both Springfield Alliance for Equality and Respect (SAfER, a CALC program) and Back to Back: Allies for Human Dignity (B2B), to counter recent hate activity and support neighbors along Centennial Boulevard in Springfield. From 4:30 to 6:30 pm Wednesday, April 18, activists will engage in counter-leafleting and distributing information about how to report and get involved in combating hate activity. Individuals wishing to help, as well as the media, are invited to a public press conference and kick-off at 4:30 pm Wednesday in the parking lot at Hamlin Middle School.

On Sunday, April 15, neighbors along Centennial woke to find flyers accredited to the Ku Klux Klan “spouting ugly racist comments” on their door step, according to a CALC press release. “Springfield residents and officials have been outraged by the spreading of these messages and want to send a clear message that hate activity and language will not be tolerated,” says CALC.

CALC is “committed to defending human rights and human dignity.” SAfER promotes human rights, responds when abuses occur and assists public institutions in addressing social justice issues. B2B “exposes and challenges overt bigotry and institutionalized oppression through education, cultural work, and activism,” and “works against racism, homophobia and anti-Semitism.”

Participants are encouraged to arrive at the Hamlin Middle School parking lot on Wednesday afternoon dressed for the weather and be willing to walk the neighborhood to help share anti-hate and anti-racism information.

Local tax resister, former prisoner of conscience, and long-time Latin America solidarity activist Peg Morton was arrested at a direct action on Monday afternoon, April 16, in front of the congressional offices in Washington, D.C.

Morton, along with hundreds of other activists from across the hemisphere, participated in Monday's "Rally, March and Nonviolent Direct Action to Shut Down the School of the Americas and End U.S. Militarization." It was the culmination of five days of lobbying, meetings and trainings, organized by School of the Americas Watch, the national organization dedicated to the closure and investigation of the SOA. This U.S. military training facility, renamed WHINSEC by the Pentagon some years ago, is responsible for “educating” hundreds of Latin American military officers who were later implicated in human rights cases in their own countries.

Morton was held for almost six hours in a cramped holding cell before being allowed to pay a $100 fine and be released, according to a statement from Scott Miksch of the local Latin American Solidarity Committee (LASC). He said Morton is adamant about the need for more direct action against the SOA. "Here we are in the hub of a giant empire,” she is quoted saying. “People are suffering and dying because of our nation's policies. We need to show these people that some of us do care, and want to make a difference."

Miksch said “Peg went to D.C. to represent LASC at SOA Watch's national conference. But in a way, she's also representing all of us who are tired with business as usual, tired of the same old policies of militarization and U.S. support for human rights violators. Leave it to Peg to speak truth to power in a very direct fashion!"

SOA Watch founder Father Roy Bourgeois was arrested along with Morton and nine others who engaged in the nonviolent direct action on Capitol Hill. "U.S. militarization in the Americas has increased during the Obama administration, said Bourgeois, “as evidenced by the military coup and the ongoing violence in Honduras, the ever-expanding ‘War on Drugs,’ the continuing murders of unionists in Colombia and the construction of new U.S. military bases throughout the hemisphere.”

Wondering what’s up this weekend? Check out the Eugene Ballet Company in its final production of the season, Stravinsky Gala. Three ballets, 21 dancers and the music of Stravinsky will all be fused into one hell of a performance down at the Hult. Look to see the stunning choreography of Toni Pimble accompanied by a 17-piece string ensemble conducted by Robert Ashens. Another thing to consider is that this will be 18-year EBC veteran dancer Jennifer Martin’s last Gala performance — not something dance fans in Eugene want to miss.

Stravinsky Gala is 7 pm Saturday, April 14, and 2 pm Sunday, April 15, at the Hult. For more info go to www.eugeneballet.org